Meanings
- idiomaticnot comparablealmost, very nearly
I felt uncomfortable, but not quite so after you arrived.
- Indicates that the preceding statement, guess, or assumption was almost correct, but not completely accurate.
C: Welcome, Ms. Go. Did I say your name right? A: Not quite. It’s Gao, G-A-O.
1988, A Guide to the U.S.A.: The Visitor's Companion2 more examples
From October 15 until the start of the tourist season in late May, the Eiffel Tower remains unlit. Not quite. If you contact the Service de I'Eclairage Publique […], you can arrange to have the Tower lit at a predetermined time, for an hour.
1977, Barry Tarshis, What It CostsLisa: "You're serving us gruel?" Dolph: "Not quite. This is Krusty Brand Imitation Gruel. Nine out of ten orphans can't tell the difference."
1992 September 24, “Kamp Krusty”, in The Simpsons, season 4, episode 1
Synonyms & antonyms
Translations
Catalan no ben bé
- no ben béalmost
Danish ikke helt
- ikke heltalmost
Icelandic ekki alveg
- ekki alvegalmost
Polish nie bardzo, nie całkiem
- nie bardzoalmost
- nie całkiemalmost
- niezbytalmost
- niezupełniealmost
- nie do końcaalmost
Russian не совсем
- не совсем (ne sovsém)almost
Spanish no del todo, no asaz
- no del todoalmost
- no asazalmost
- no exactamentealmost
- no precisamentealmost
- no completamentealmost
Cite this entry
not quite. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/not%20quite
“not quite.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/not%20quite. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “not quite,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/not%20quite.
Source: not quite on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.